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VINEXPO EVENTS & SEMINARS – Bordeaux expects
Once again, in June, the Parc des Expositions will become the focal point for the international drinks trade. The 13th Vinexpo promises the usual heady mix of alcohol and business at the highest level
You might have only just scraped the tannin from your teeth and fought through the backlog of work that piled up in your absence during LIWSF, but as soon as you’ve finishing packing up one stand, there’s another to be built. A Vinexpo year means a busy start to the summer for the wine trade.
When Vinexpo began in 1981, 11,000 show-goers visited 524 stands. By the last Vinexpo in 2003, visitor numbers had spiralled to over 47,000 with over 2,300 companies exhibiting.
The 13th Vinexpo will be more impressive than ever before, and easier to get to via the new free shuttle-bus service to and from the show. The really good news is that Hall 3 is actually a new 12,000 square metre exhibition hall this year (not a tent), and a shiny new air-conditioned one at that, costing h25m to develop. The vast expanse of Hall 1 has also been reorganised to make a more manageable tasting space. In addition to this Vinexpo will also be using the nearby Palais de Congres (Convention Centre) where a smaller exhibition entitled Univers and Co will be dedicated to the services around wine and spirits, such as design agencies and glassware.
“We’ve been fully booked for months,” says Jean-Marie Chadronnier, the president of Vinexpo. “People don’t come because they are interested in the French market – that’s what makes us different from ProWein in Germany, VinItaly or the London Wine Fair. These exhibitions are mainly dedicated to their own marketplace.
“Exhibitors visit ProWein mainly because they are interested in the German market. People come to Vinexpo because it is probably the only place in the world where most of the operators from the wine business will be in one place, where they can meet people from the wine trade from all over the world in a neutral manner.”
As international as the fair now is, the location is still an attraction for some expo-goers. “Bordeaux is still considered one of the main reference points for wine. It is a gathering where everyone has their own goal,” Chadronnier continues. “Some may come to meet people, or do some serious business, or maybe just to look around. Everyone has good reasons for coming and I think that the proof is that they stay for more than one day.”
In fact there is so much to see that staying more than a day is pretty much vital. Domaines Barons de Rothschild-Lafite will be presenting wines from its newest property, Château d’Aussières for the first time. Sample the wines from the 550ha Languedoc estate on stand AB28, Hall 1.
Meanwhile, Bordeaux-based Maison Sichel will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of its flagship premium brand, Sirius, at stand B252, Hall 1.
There will be a new Chilean wine from Jacques and François Lurton on stand CD50, Hall1, as they will be showcasing their new Clos de Lolol 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon/Carmenère blend, the first vintage from their new Lolol winery in the Colchagua valley.
On stand BD300, Hall 1, La Baume and JP Chenet will be the focus for Les Grands Chais de France. La Baume’s new “wraparound” packaging, researched and designed in the UK, is being adopted for all markets in Scandinavia, the US and Europe. JP Chenet has also received a labelling overhaul and an embossed logo now replaces the neck label on the characteristic twisted-neck bottle.
The French giant Castel will be on stand BD 271, Hall 1, to present Halana and Boualouane wines from Morocco, as well as its French brands.
The Valdepeñas-based Felix Solis SA, producer of Spain's market-leading Viña Albali and Los Molinos, will this year be on Stand D90, Hall 1, to introduce new wines from Rioja, Rueda and Ribera del Duero, and also a new dual-varietal range, Vinum Clasic. Rioja expert Frederico Paternina will be exhibiting on AB60, Hall 1.
Italian producer Settesoli will be at stand B233 in Hall 1 to show off its repackaged Mandrarossa and Inycon brands, and launch a Vineyard Selection varietal range. Fellow Italian producer Monarco will also be in Hall 1 at E2670.
And it’s not just wine, Burn Stewart Distillers’ Bunnahabhain will be on the CL World Brands stand at S350, Hall 3, to present its new packaging. Now distributed in over 20 countries around the world, Bunnahabhain is growing in a number of markets, notably in the UK, Sweden, Northern Europe and the US.
But Vinexpo is much more than a tasting opportunity. Each year the organisers, in collaboration with the International Wines and Spirits Record, commission in-depth studies of the world wine market.
“Most would consider putting on an exhibition the size of Vinexpo to be enough work in itself, but as its chief executive, Robert Beynat, explains, “We are not an exhibition organiser, the exhibitions are only a tool for us. We want to help the trade to develop the consumption of wine and spirits – responsibly.
“By investing in studies we are helping exhibitors. They act as a tool to help exhibitors to develop the future, their strategies and their brands.”
One rather curious fact that the research uncovered is that the global wine market is now of the same value as the cosmetics industry, and has grown 7.8% since 1998 to a value of $101.5 billion. In the outlook to 2006 this figure is expected to rise by another 8% to $111bn. World wine consumption in 2002 reached 224.8m hectolitres. We hope you drank your share.
The most encouraging news that this research had for wine producers everywhere is that the looming spectre of the global wine surplus is fading after all. IWSR believes that the glut of wine produced between 1997 and 2001 is the result of two of the largest vintages on record, namely 1999 and 2000. The statistical probabillity of having two consecutive bumper harvests again is low, so based on five-year figures the gap between world production and consumption should fall by 11.06% between 2002 and 2006.
According to Vinexpo’s research the value outlook to 2006 is even rosier than this as the overall market is growing 2.5 times faster in value than it is in volume. Just think of all that extra cash to spend on exhibitions …
As vast as Vinexpo is, you can’t spend all your time running from stand to stand and there is a dazzling range of events, seminars, meetings and tastings, as well as delicious workshops from the Slow Food Society to choose from. Here is just a selection of the delights on offer.
SUNDAY JUNE 19
10.00-11.30am
Tasting: Introduction to the top wines of Austria
Organised by: Austrian Wine Marketing Board
Presented by: Peter Moser, chief editor, Falstaff Magazine
Location: Room 221, Hall 2
Entrance free
Contact: info@winesfromaustria.com
10.00am-12.00noon
Seminar: Avoiding margin destruction, the case for currency hedging
Organised by: Vinexpo
Location: Room 231, Hall 2
Entrance free
Contact: philippe.newlin@us.calyon.com
2.00-5.30pm
Tasting: A few of the millenium’s vintages – Saint-Emilion Grands Crus Classés
Organised by: Association des Grands Crus Classés de Saint-Emilion
Location: Espace Dégustation, Hall 3
Entrance free
Contact: marie-stephane.malbec@wanadoo.fr
3.00-4.30pm
Slow Food Workshop: Sweet wines from Aquitaine and chocolates from Ecuador
Organised by: Vinexpo/Slow Food
Location: Room 221, Hall 2
Booking required
Contact: marketing@vinexpo.com
MONDAY JUNE 20
9.30am-12.30pm
Seminar: Counterfeiting and traceability: the solutions
Organised by: French National Printing Service
Presented by: Loïc de la Cochetière, chairman of Imprimerie Nationale; Pierre Delval, Imprimerie Nationale Governmental Commission; Jacques Trabant, expert for Imprimerie Nationale
Location: Convention Centre Amphi B
Entrance free
9.30am-12.30pm
Conference: Being a sommelier in the 21st century
Organised by: Vinexpo
Location: Convention Centre, Amphi C
Entrance free
Contact: v.germe@vinexpo.com
10.00am-5.00pm
Tasting: Vins de Pays d’Oc and Languedoc-Roussillon AOC
Organised by: Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins du Roussillon et Syndicat des Vins de Pays d’Oc
Location: Room 223, Hall 2
Entrance free
Contact: ludivine-coignard@vinspaysdoc.fr
10.30am-1.00pm
Seminar: Savoir Boire-Savoir Vivre – the latest scientific research on wine and health
Organised by: Vinexpo/OIV
Location: Room 231, Hall 2
Entrance free
Contact: marketing@vinexpo.com
10.30-5.30pm
Tasting: Médoc & Haut-Médoc AOC 2002
Organised by: Médoc et Graves Group
Location: Room 211, Hall 2
Entrance free
Contact: medoc@medoc-bordeaux.com
2.30-5.30pm
Seminar: The internet and its contribution to wine advertising and marketing
Organised by: Vitisphère/Vinexpo
Location: Convention Centre Amphi B
Entrance free
Contact:
anne.schoendoerffer@vitisphere.com
3.00-4.30pm
Tasting: Spanish Grands Crus
Organised by: Grandes Pagos de España
Location: Room 221, Hall 2
Entrance free
Contact: jordividalr@hotmail.com
3.00-4.30pm
Slow Food Workshop: World spices and fizz
Organised by: Vinexpo/Slow Food
Location: Convention Centre
Booking required
Contact: marketing@vinexpo.com
TUESDAY JUNE 21
9.00am-5.30pm
Tasting: Chablis Grands Crus
Organised by: Union des Grands Crus de Chablis
Location: Convention Centre
Entrance free
Contact: connapp@dial.oleane.com
10.00am-12.00noon
IWSC Trophy Announcement
Organised by: International Wine and Spirit Competition
Location: Room 223, Hall 2
Entrance free
Contact: lesley@iwsc.co.uk
10.30am-1.00pm
Seminar: Savoir Boire-Savoir Vivre: How to drink, how to eat – the same approach and responsibility
Location: Room 231, Hall 2
Entrance free
Contact: marketing@vinexpo.com
10.30am-5.30pm
Tasting: Graves Red, Graves Supérieures AOC 2002 and 2003 and Graves White AOC 2003 and 2004
Organised by: Médoc et Graves Group
Location: Room 211, Hall 2
Entrance free
Contact: medoc@medoc-bordeaux.com
12.30-2.00pm
Tasting of Galliss Cognacs
Organised by: Eurocis Holding AS
Location: Room 222, Hall 2
Entrance free
Contact: odenis-gallis@co.ru
12.30-2.00pm
Slow Food Workshop: The Bigorre Black Pig and Cantonese culinary tradition
Organised by: Vinexpo/Slow Food
Location: Convention Centre
Booking required
Contact: marketing@vinexpo.com
WEDNESDAY JUNE 22
9.00am-1.00pm
Tasting: Sauternes and Barsac Grands Crus Classés in 1855: selection of the latest vintages
Organised by: Syndicat des Crus Classés de Sauternes et Barsac
Location: Room 223, Hall 2
Entrance free
Contact: marie-stephane.malbec@wanadoo.fr
9.30am-12.30pm
Seminar: The concept of terroir: its development and variety worldwide
Organised by: INAO (Institut National des Appellations d’Origine)
Presented by: Yves Benard; Bianchi De Aguiar; Jorge Tonietto
Location: Convention Centre Amphi C
Entrance free
Contact: p.mauguin@inao.gouv.fr
10.00-11.30am
Slow Food Workshop: The Bigorre Black Pig and Cantonese culinary tradition
Organised by: Vinexpo/Slow Food
Location: Convention Centre
Booking required
Contact: marketing@vinexpo.com
10.30am-12.30pm
Seminar: How to optimise the wine assortment in multiples
Organised by: Sopexa
Location: Convention Centre Amphi B
Entrance free
Contact: martine.albessart@sopexa.com
10.30-1.00pm
Seminar: Savoir Boire-Savoir Vivre: Responsible marketing of alcoholic drinks
Organised by: Vinexpo/Portman Group
Location: Room 231, Hall 2
Entrance free
Contact: marketing@vinexpo.com
10.30am-5.30pm
Tasting: Moulis AOC 2002 and 2004 and a tasting of Listrac AOC 2001 and 2002
Organised by: Médoc et Graves Group
Location: Room 211, Hall 2
Entrance free
Contact: medoc@medoc-bordeaux.com
2.00-6.00pm
Tasting: Wines of Pomerol
Organised by: Syndicat viticole et agricole de Pomerol
Location: Room 223, Hall 2
entrance free
Contact: marie-stephane.malbec@wanadoo.fr
2.30-5.30pm
Discussion on the AOC concept: The state of play and outlook
Organised by: INAO (Institut National des Appellations d’Origine)
Presented by: René Renou, chairman of INAO; Philippe Mauguin, CEO of INAO
Location: Convention Centre Amphi C
Entrance free
Contact: p.mauguin@inao.gouv.fr
2.30-5.30pm
Conference: How to reconcile wine’s development and health’s imperatives
Organised by: Vin et Société
Location: Room 231, Hall 2
Entrance free
Contact: virginie.gandrand@monAOC.com
3.00-4.30pm
Slow Food Workshop: Pauillac lamb and Médoc Wines
Organised by: Vinexpo/Slow Food
Location: Convention Centre
Booking required
Contact: marketing@vinexpo.com
3.00-4.30pm
Tasting: Discovery of Japanese Sake: Introduction and tasting
Organised by: Miyasaka Brewing
Location: Room 221, Hall 2
Entrance free
Contact: domgrand@tgk.janis.or.jp
THURSDAY JUNE 23
10.30am-12.30pm
Seminar: What are the opportunities for exports of French Wine?
Organised by: Atradius
Location: Room 231, Hall 2
Entrance free
Contact: nien.deo@atradius.com
12.00noon-3.00pm
Christie’s Fine Wine Auction
Location: Convention Centre Amphi C
Entrance free
Contact: flasry@christies.com
12.30-2.00pm
Slow Food Workshop: An introduction to the five basic flavours of Szechwan cuisine and Jura wines
Organised by: Vinexpo/Slow Food
Location: Convention Centre
Booking required
Contact: marketing@vinexpo.com
© db June 2005